Different electronic components, most notably of audio/visual equipment, often communicate with each other via infrared or other optical signals. While this sort of communication is often between a transmitting remote control and receiving audio/visual equipment such as set top boxes and televisions, on some occasions the need arises to transmit between devices which are more typically thought of as optical signal receiving devices (e.g., set top boxes and televisions).
In these situations, the audio/visual devices are usually located near each other and oriented facing in a similar or a same direction. Since the optical receiving/transmitting points of such devices are thus also usually oriented in a similar or a same direction (as opposed to facing each other), it may become problematic for them to receive optical signals from one another.
The prior art typically relies on environmental reflectance to deliver optical signals from one device to the other in these situations. For example, an optical signal may be transmitted from a set top box outward, reflected off furniture and/or walls, and then received by a television near the set top box that could not otherwise receive the optical signal more directly. The problem with this approach is that reliable transmission of the optical signal from one device to another may not occur in every potential environment (e.g., different homes of different set top box and television users).